Zambia court sentenced 11 Ethiopians to 15 years in jail for illegal entering the country

EDITOR’S NOTE: Why are these Ethiopians fleeing the paradise in their own country that was created by the great leader Meles Zenawi, the Moses of Ethiopia?

(Times of Zambia) — ELEVEN Ethiopians have been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment each with hard labor after they pleaded guilty to the offence of entering Zambia illegally.

The Lusaka High Court sentenced the 11 who included a woman yesterday after the 11 took plea to the offence which is contrary to the Laws of Zambia.

The 11 had also been sentenced to nine, six and three months for admitting the charge of failing to appear before the nearest Immigration office upon entering Zambia, contrary to the Immigration and Deportation Act.

The convicts who had been in custody would have their sentences run from the day of arrest in December last year.

High Court judge Mungeni Mulenga, however, reserved judgment to the 12th accused person Berenet Abebe because he had been hospitalised to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH), and his judgment was set for September 7, this year.

In count one, the 12 were facing a charge of Consenting to being smuggled Contrary to Section 9 (1) of the Anti-Human Trafficking Act Number 11 of 2008 of the Laws of Zambia.

In count two, the convicts pleaded guilty to failing to appear before the nearest Immigration officer upon entry into Zambia, contrary to Section 12(2) and Section 51(1) as read with Section 56 (1) of the Immigration and Deportation Act Number 18 of 2010 of the Laws of Zambia.

The convicts had earlier appeared before senior resident magistrate Aridah Chulu who could not pass sentence in the first count due to jurisdiction but sentenced them to various months in count one.

She then referred the matter to the High Court for sentencing in the first count where they were now jailed 15 years each with hard labour.

Facts before the court were that a group of Ethiopians left for South Africa where arrangements were made with an agent who was paid an undisclosed amount of money to take them to their desired destination.

The same agent on unknown dates but around December 2011 made the accused persons to cross borders without passing through the Immigration Department offices for their clearance as they were put in a container.

They then found themselves in Lusaka where they were apprehended and handed over to the Immigration and investigations revealed that the convicts had consented to being smuggled from Tanzania to Zambia.

One thought on “Zambia court sentenced 11 Ethiopians to 15 years in jail for illegal entering the country”

Hey Zambians – will you judge as such if their skin was white? The answer is a big NO. You were helped during your struggle by the Ethiopian government. Go back and recheck History or ask Mr. Kenneth Kaunda. He will tell you. This is the time to help feeling Ethiopians from a narrow ethnocentric regime that is pillaging Ethiopia.
I find the judgment to be harsh and stupid.